'Potter' stars returning for last 2 films

BURBANK, Calif., March 23 (UPI) -- Daniel, Rupert and Emma will reunite as Harry, Ron and Hermione in the last two "Harry Potter" films, Warner Bros. Pictures said Friday in Burbank, Calif.

While Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Grint said they would reprise the teen wizards Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, respectively, conflicting reports circulated about whether Emma Watson would return as Hermione Granger.

"When Daniel, Rupert and Emma were first cast as Harry, Ron and Hermione, we knew they were not only talented, but had a very special chemistry," Jeff Robinov, Warner Bros. production president, said in a news release. "It would be inconceivable to imagine anyone else in the roles with which they have become so identified ..."

Both "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" are being produced by David Heyman, who has produced all of the Potter films.

"Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," the fifth film in the franchise, is slated for U.S. release July 13.